His stay at Notre Dame might not have gone the way Malachi Fields wanted, but he still carried himself with professionalism during a season where his numbers dipped and the Irish missed the College Football Playoff. He then carried himself as one of the best receivers in the class when he was playing in senior showcases, and that was enough to convince the New York Giants to take a flyer on him. Now he could be starting opposite first-round pick Malik Nabers.
While the Giants have raved about Fields before their preseason game, he showed the rest of the league why he looks like he could be a starter this season in that game when he made a tough, toe-tapping reception near the sideline in the end zone for New York’s only touchdown of the contest.
The play was even more impressive because the former Notre Dame wideout scored the TD on a broken play. He said he knew what he was supposed to do and how he adjusted after the game. “We talk about scramble drill all the time, you know, in the red zone, 50% of the touchdown passes are scramble drills, so we work it all the time, and that's kind of what happened. I originally had like a shallow crosser, and then once I saw Jackson breaking out of the pocket, you know, I'm the low guy, so I turn up, and then just trying to make some space, and he puts the ball up, and I go make a play.”
Outside of his performance in the preseason loss where he finished with 3 catches for 34 yards and that score, he’s been impressing coaches plenty in practices. It’s believed he’s been working with the first team more often than not and continues to emerge.
Malachi Fields on scoring his first NFL TD
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 16, 2026
Notre Dame football alum Malachi Fields could start opposite Malik Nabers
The third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft has looked every bit the player who could surprise. Fields finished his college career with 165 receptions for 2,479 yards and 16 touchdowns in 48 games, averaging 15.0 yards per catch and 51.6 receiving yards per game. He spent his first four seasons at Virginia, where he totaled 129 catches for 1,849 yards and 11 touchdowns in 36 games.
He transferred to Notre Dame for the 2025 season, and while his 36 receptions for 630 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games were a bit of a dip in production, he posted a career-best 17.5 yards per reception.
There are still a few weeks of camp before the NFL season officially kicks off, but if Malachi Fields continues to show the New York Giants what he has so far, the former Notre Dame football star could be starting in Week 1.
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